Google Makes Improvements to Results Pages

On March 24, Google announced two new improvements to their results pages. The first improvement targets the “Related Searches” section of the page; the second targets search result descriptions, also called snippets.

The “Related Searches” section is usually located at the bottom of the search results page. Its purpose is to create a list of associates and concepts related to you search. For instance, when you use the keywords “search engine optimization” you can scroll down to the bottom and see additional searches related to “search engine optimization pricing,” “search engine submission,” “meta tags,” “search engine optimization for dummies,” and a few other related terms. The purpose of this improvement is to help users find the information they’re looking for more effectively.

The second improvement will also help users find what they’re looking for by displaying a longer snippet. When you do a search on Google, you see a dark blue title followed by a few lines of black text (snippet). The snippet usually highlights in bold letters the words contained in your search query. In the past, these snippets have been limited to around 150 characters; now, that number is being increased for queries that contain more than three words, giving users the ability to assess the search results more thoroughly.

This means you may want to increase the length of your meta descriptions to be more compelling. Google doesn’t always use the meta description but it will help in cases when it does.

For more information about Search Engine Optimization and how this Google update affects your online marketing strategy, contact KEO Marketing at 888.702.0679.

About Sheila KloefkornWith more than 20 years of hands on marketing strategy and operations experience, Sheila Kloefkorn is dedicated to developing marketing strategies and plans that help clients succeed. Some of the world's largest brands have depended on Sheila for marketing programs that delivered tangible and substantial results. Specialties: B2B marketing, lead generation, lead nurturing, sales strategy, marketing strategy, competitive marketing strategy, social media, search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM), mobile marketing,, email marketing, website design, marketing plans.